good morning. fight night in vegas. donald trump and hillary clinton set to duke it out one last time in a debate. their planes crossing paths at the airport. poll its showing hillary clinton with a comfortable lead and less than three weeks to breaking overnight, chaos outside the u.s. embassy in the philippines. a police van repeatedly rams a group of demonstrators protesting the u.s. military's presence there. one person pinned beneath the tire before getting up. this morning why the police are saying the driver did nothing wrong. chilling execution. disturbing video of a judge in

was it a hit ordered by the infamous drug lord el chapo? and ciao, the obamas host their final state dinner at the white house with italian flare. guest list star studded. we'll take you inside "today," wednesday, october 19th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer, live from studio 1a, and savannah washington, d.c. and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today," a special split edition on a wednesday morning. savannah is down in washington, bonjourno. >> we really chowed down at this state dinner and that's why i got this exciting once in a lifetime opportunity to attend the final state dinner at the white house for the obama administration. it was a beautiful night, the weather was perfect and we had a great time, so we'll have more

while. >> and michael looked very handsome and you looked beautiful. we'll talk about that in a little while. let us begin with the battle to replace the president. here's the state of the race, just 20 days to go. all eyes will be on unlv's thomas & mack center tonight for the final debate between hillary clinton and donald trump. heading into that showdown, a new bloomberg politics poll shows clinton with a 9% lead nationally, and prent claims of a rigged election saying the republican nominee is whining before the game is even over. >> we will given our decision 2016 coverage with hallie jackson who's already in place outside the debate hall in las vegas. hallie, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah, both candidates have been getting in some last-minute prep for tonight, but for donald trump perhaps more on the line as he trails hillary clinton in almost every recent poll. tonight as his campaign reveals

it will be trump's last real chance to prove he has what it takes to try and turn it around. past the glitz of the vegas strip, a strip downstage for the final fight night of 2016. the candidates already in position, their dueling planes seen squaring off on the tarmac. donald trump prepping on his plane tuesday, focusing on foreign policy and his rival's record on iraq, syria and libya. in particular, the attack in 2012, trying to rattle hillary clinton by inviting the mother of one of the americans killed in that attack who has blamed clinton for her son's death. >> how could she do this to me! >> reporter: also in the audience, president obama's half-brother who is reportedly backing the gop nominee. trump's team telling nbc news of the invite just hours after the president blasted trump, recommending he cut the complaining. >> i'd invite mr. trump to stop

>> reporter: trump on the trail insists the system's rigged, even without evidence of widespread voter fraud. >> they even want to try and rig the election at the polling booths where so many cities are corrupt, and you see that. >> there is no serious person out there who would suggest somehow that you could even rig america's elections. >> reporter: trump's making it clear he's running not just against clinton, but the media -- >> ft read the internet. >> reporter: the polls. >> i don't believe the polls anymore. >> reporter: and the entire establishment. trump out now with a new plan to put term limits on members of congress. six years for the house, 12 years for the senate. >> we're going to drain the swamp in washington, d.c. >> reporter: in vegas tonight, clinton has her own debate strategy and her own challenges. stick to the issues and avoid getting testy with trump.

outspoken trump critic mark cuban. clinton has been off the trail getting set for the showdown, letting her surrogates do the talking for her. >> electing donald trump as president would be a disaster for this country and something we must not allow. >> reporter: yes, that's bernie sanders, clinton's former rival, the subject of new e-mails released by wikileaks, stolen apparently from a top clinton aide's account, though the campaign and nbc authenticated the messages. in one john podesta calls sanders a doofus. another puts sanders on a list of potential running mates along with nonpolitical names like the heads of apple, starbucks and gm. not everybody wants to be talking about those hacked e-mails. new this morning, senator marco rubio in a statement to nbc news, is warning his fellow

the wikileaks politically saying essentially it's the democrats, but tomorrow it could be the gop. all of it as here on stage we're learning today of a possible break in a long-time tradition with a report that there will be no handshake between the spouses, former president bill clinton and donald trump's wife melania. >> good to know. hallie jackson, thanks very much. let's bring in nbc news political analyst steve schmidt and mike to understand tonight do we need to look to the last debate. donald trump made those sdpar disparaging comments about women and twhenhen went on a blisteri offensive. we just heard from nine women coming forward to make accusations of unwanted sexual contact with donald trump. same strategy? >> i think he'll try to make it about anything other than that. he'll relentlessly be on the

i think he'll get pinned down. it could be a bumpy night. >> do you expect to see the same tone from donald trump? >> i don't think you'll see him opening up with an apology, but coming into the first debate, he was down two and a half points on the national polling averages. coming into the third debate, it's eight, nine, ten points and this race is very, very close to being out of grasp for him. >> so he's wounded and he's desperate because he sees the polls closing out his path. >> wounded, desperate and dangerous. >> what about hillary clinton knockout punch because the very subject matter brought back some problems in her family's past. does she stay away and keep her distance? >> i think you'll see a call back to the first debate where she did a pretty strong job of pushing trump's buttons and letting him hurt himself. does she let trump spin off into trimpyness. >> no question when you push donald trump, you question his business acumen and question those businesses. she was very effective in the first debate making him chase

on this debate stage tonight. >> let's turn to her problems because it's not all roses for hillary clinton either. in the last couple of weeks we've now seen alleged transcripts of those discussions, those talks she gave, those speeches for goldman sachs. we know that she talked about a public stance on some issues and a private stance. how does she respond? >> donald trump has adopted a message we're going to drain the swamp. he's making a corruption argument against hillary clin fight, keep him on defense. she has to talk about the future, her vision for the country, where she wants to lead it and how to heal the wounds of this campaign. >> you're sega voaying avoid it she can't avoid it all night. >> she needs a clean answer and a pivot to make it about him. this is like a jump ball. >> this is the clean answer. >> i think the clean answer is the best thing about experience is you learn from your mistakes. now donald, and get right back

this is the last chance they're going to be face to face and let voters compare them standing next to each other on a stage, so let's talk about trump first and then we'll go to clinton. what is the one thing he has to say and what is the one thing he has to avoid saying? >> i think we're 20 days away from picking the american head of state who swears an oath to preserve and protect the constitution. he is undermining a fundamental institution, which is how we pick our leaders through fair he must signal tonight that he will accept the legitimacy of the american people's vote. the one thing he needs to avoid tonight, which i think is difficult for him, is to be put on the defense, to be responsive, because he becomes both incoherent, defensive and angry and it drives more questions about his temperament. >> the quirkiness of morning tv are making you hillary clinton's campaign manager. so what does she have to say,

>> she's the only one with something to lose. she's got to prove she's the only president on the stage, be on offense and make trump came the bait. >> fireworks, no question about it. mike murphy, steve schmidt, guys, thank you very much. >> good to be with you. >> you can see the third and final debate, 9:00 p.m. eastern tonight on nbc. lester holt will anchor nbc coverage along with savannah and chuck todd. savannah, back to you. we'll go overseas and some new developments in thatas military operation to reclaim the iraqi city of mosul from isis. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is on the ground in iraq this morning. richard, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. there are already signs of what could become a humanitarian disaster as the u.s. is accusing isis of holding the people of mosul as human shields. iraqi forces are closing in on mosul, pushing toward the city today from three sides.

assisting with air strikes, artillery and advisers told us mosul will fall and with it isis' so-called caliphate in iraq. >> they lose mosul. then when they lose the territory they have in syria, i think that really puts a knife in the heard of isil. >> but isis isn't telling that to its supporters. just the opposite. it's propaganda is showing life better than ever in mosul, people working, eating different reality. some leaders from isis, also known as daesh, have been fleeing the city. >> there's a lot fewer daesh today than there were yesterday and there will be fewer tomorrow than today. >> but isis leaders aren't the only ones trying to escape this offensive. we saw an entire village south of mosul up and leave. all the families, their animals too. they walked for miles through the desert to escape isis and the war.

this exodus is from one small village of around 5,000 people. there are over a million in mosul. the number of displaced people could be enormous. the u.n. said it expects an initial 200,000 people to be displaced once fighting reaches mosul, and perhaps more waves after that. the general warned that isis could try to carry out terrorist attacks in retaliation for the an matt, back to you. >> richard engle in iraq. richard, thank you very much. now a shocking murder caught on camera. the victim, a judge in mexico who was apparently involved in the case against infamous drug kingpin el chapo, gunned down in front of his own home. nbc's miguel almaguer has the latest on the investigation. >> reporter: the surveillance video shows the judge jogging when a hit man approaches from

him. the 37-year-old judge had presided over a number of high-profile drug cartel cases. and while nbc news has not been able to independently verify the connection, some mexican media have linked the judge to el chapo's extradition case. el chapo's lawyer says his infamous cloiient, who escaped prison twice using elaborate tunnels like this was judge was not working his case. a court spokesman has not responded to nbc's inquiries. widely feared even behind bars, experts say el chapo remains powerful but is hardly the only one capable of ordering such a brutal hit. >> this is the way the standard operating procedure for drug cartels in mexico. they're going to continue to carry out these kind of violent acts in order to accomplish their goals. >> reporter: in a crime that has

violence, mexico's president has promised a full investigation. el chapo could be extradited to the u.s. next year to face charges ranging from drug trafficking and money laundering to murder. but the cartel violence in mexico shows no signs of going away. this, another horrific example of the danger and the price often paid in the war against drugs. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news. we want to take you back now showed you at the top of our show and warn you that the images of graphic. at least three people were injured this morning when a philippines police van rammed protesters during a rally outside the u.s. embassy. the van with a police officer at the wheel drove back and forth, slamming into people that had surrounded that vehicle. at least one person was pinned under the van but managed to get up and walk away. the demonstrators were calling for an end to the presence of

van was merely defending himself from the protesters who were attacking him. and the hunt is on this morning for a group of gunmen who opened fire outside a san francisco high school. on tuesday, four male suspects walked up to the june jordan campus and started shooting just as classes were ending for the day. officials placed the building on lockdown. four students in the parking lot were shot. one of them remains in critical condition. three others have threatening injuries and police do not believe the shooting was random. they say at least one of the victims was the intended target. al continues to get all patched up from his knee surgery. dylan is in once again with a check of the weather. >> and it's going to be another hot one. i promise i'll put the summer clothes away after we get through another 80-degree day because then it cools down to more what you expect for mid-october. it's going to feel like late august with temperatures 10 to

highs is shrinking a bit but we should break a record in philadelphia today. the forecast is 84. the record is 80 degrees. new york city and hartford, baltimore should break the record with a forecast high of 85 degrees. down across the southeast we're looking to break records in charlotte. savannah comes close. montgomery, alabama, should break the old record by two degrees. in tuesday we're looking for records in the southeast. it will cool off a bit in the northeast because of this cold front, a that we have moving eastward. we're looking at isolated severe storms southern missouri into northern arkansas, hail and damaging winds would be the biggest threat. once the second cold front moves through, that's when temperatures will drop back down

>> bri: good morning, everybody. partly cloudy skies to start. but as we move into mid-kay and this afternoon, i think the sunshine wins out over the cloud cover. there is a weak cool front that's moving through throughout the day today. but it really doesn't cool off temperatures at all. in fact, it's ahead of us all across the board. 74 to 81 for our highs this afternoon. and a will be at your 7 on 7 forecast shows it is still fall and that becomes apparent as we move into the weekend. unsettled weather ahead and that's your latest forecast. matt. >> diylan, thank you very much. coming up we'll talk about the long and bitter feud between president obama and donald trump, as the president tells the candidate to stop whining.

the fashion, the food and the fun. an inside look at the obamas final state dinner and what it took off to pull off a big

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alka-seltzer plus cold and cough liquid gels fight your worst cold symptoms including your runny nose. oh, what a relief it is! when i listen to families across new hampshire, all i hear is that washington is locked into a system where the special interests come before people. where drug company profits come before affordable medicine, the koch brothers and big oil come before clean energy, and powerful corporations beat out entrepreneurs looking to grow their small businesses. i'm maggie hassan. washington won't change overnight. w senator who puts your priorities ahead of special interests can make a difference. and that's why i approve this message. >> this is 7news now. >> christa: good morning, everybody. 7:26 on this wednesday. let's check in with bri eggers with your forecast. >> bri: christa, with that picture, there already an movement. upon yesterday. there are some partly cloudy

our northwest, and it sweeps through today. but it doesn't do much to the temperatures. in fact, we're warm today all across the board. 74 to 81. enjoy it. fall is back for the weekend. >> christa: bri, thank you. police are searching for the man who allegedly exposed himself to elementary school students in andover. officers say man pulled down his shorts while children were outside for recess at st. augustine school. according to police, the children told their parents about the incident. a $5,000 reward being offer of fires in tyngsborough. investigators say 11 vehicles in one home were all damaged by these fires that happened earlier this month. the fire marshal and tyngsborough firefighters are all investigating. now back to the "today show" after this quick break. we're back with more local headlines for you in about 30

? we're off to see the wizard ? >> we're back at 7:30 on a wednesday morning, it's october 19th, 2016. that's a piece of hollywood history, dorothy's ruby slippers from "the wizard of ." campaign to preserve those shoes. we'll show you how just ahead. matt, i know you have a check of the headlines. >> just click your heels together three times and say there's no place like home. here are the headlines. overnight a dangerous wildfire ignited near the los angeles neighborhood of porter ranch. high winds fanning those flames. more than 100 firefighters have now been called in. during a campaign stop in

on election day, saying it is the most important decision they will ever make. >> this is our final shot, folks. in four years, it's over. we're never going to be to win. you're never going to be able to win. it's going to be a one-party system. this is your final shot. >> and again, the final presidential debate is in las vegas tonight. a bit of gamesmanship from the candidates. among trump's guests, president obama's half-brother, said to be voting for clinton has invited billionaire mark cuban and hewlett-packard ceo meg whitman. in today's campaign moment, the tussel on the tarmac before tonight's debate. trump and clinton's campaign planes sitting side by side in las vegas. trump's boeing 757 dwarfing the clintons' boeing 737. the planes have tangled on the tarmac before both in washington and in cleveland.

slamming donald trump's claims of the rigged election, calling that whining. nbc's kristen welker is looking at what is just the latest exchange in a long and bitter rivalry between the president and the republican nominee. kristen, good morning. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. when it comes to donald trump, it has always been personal for president obama, but this week he turned their feud into an all-out war of words during a joint news conference in the rose garden. it's one of the most personal fueds in the political world and now president obama is essentially telling donald trump to grow up. >> i'd invite mr. trump to stop whining and go try to make his case to get votes. >> reporter: unleashing a scathing rebuke of trump's claim that the electoral process is rigged against the gop. >> it's unprecedented. it happens to be based on no facts. whenever things are going badly for you and you lose, you start blaming somebody else?

takes to be in this job. >> reporter: it's a public fight that started five years ago, when trump became the face of the birther movement, questioning whether the president was actually born in the u.s. during a 2011 interview with meredith vieira. >> you are not allowed to be a president if you're not born in this country. he may not have been born in this country. >> reporter: when the president produced his long-form birth certificate, trump declared victory. >> donald trump. >> reporter: days later, the president tore into the businessman at the white house correspondents dinner with trump seat. >> and that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like did we fake the moon landing. what really happened in roswell? and where are biggie and tupac? >> reporter: observers have speculated trump's humiliation in 2011 may have fueled his desire to run in 2016.

political outsider clinched the nomination, both sides firing shots. >> i continue to believe mr. trump will not be president. the reason is because i have a lot of faith in the american people. >> you're lucky i didn't run last time when romney ran because you would have been a one-term president. >> reporter: adding to the verbal fireworks, the issue that started it all, birtherism, which many critics say is steeped in racism. it wasn't until just last month that trump finally acknowledged the facts. born in the united states, period. >> reporter: and while the political brawl rages on, the president is making an impassioned plea for a peaceful transition once the voters make their voices heard. >> the person who loses the election congratulates the winner, reaffirms our democracy, and we move forward. that's how democracy survives. >> reporter: trump and president

compete in an actual political content, but in some ways the voters have already weighed in. according to our latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll 51% of registered voters have a positive view of the president. that number for trump, 29%. savannah. >> kristen welker already at the debate hall for tonight, thank you. now as we mentioned at the top, an effort launched here in washington to save one of the smithsonian's most treasured pieces. an online campaign just got under way to raise money t by judy garland in "the wizard of oz." tom cauostello is at the americ museum of american history this morning. tom, good morning to you. >> reporter: yeah, good morning to you. these are the slippers right here. they have been in this case since 1979, made back in 1938. look over here. this is very cool. this is the original script for "the wizard of oz" and the slippers were supposed to be in silver, changed to ruby because

right here. back to the slippers that dorothy wore to oz and back to kansas. they are in desperate need of some urgent and expensive tlc. ? we're off to see the wizard ? few movies mean more to americans than this one. dorothy, the scarecrow, the tinman, cowardly lion and toto and those slippers. >> there's no place like home. >> reporter: today millions of visitors have gazed at size 5 ruby slippers at the national museum of american history, but nearly 80 years since she skipped down the yellow brick road, the slippers, complete with judy garland's name on the inside, are showing their age. >> what we can see here are the sequins. we actually have a view of two sides. >> reporter: using a high res digital microscope, the smithsonian team has examined every bead, every stitch, every sequin. many of them flaking and faded.

faded and cracks as well. >> that's all because of the humidity and the light? >> yes, most likely. those materials, they're very sensitive to those conditions. >> reporter: humidity and light are a museum's enemy. now the smithsonian has launched a $300,000 kickstarter campaign called keep them ruby. not to restore, but to preserve these american treasures. >> so these are the ruby slippers? >> brian littleman is the entertainment curator. >> we want to do conservation to stop the deterioratio t state-of-the-art case that's going to keep them in ruby condition for years to come. >> tap your heels together three times. >> reporter: in 1939 they were simple white shoes bought from a retailer, dyed red and covered in sequins. but down in the smithsonian's labs, don wallace admits they seem to transport her to a different place. >> whenever i would handle them, the songs would come into my head and i would dance and sing and smile a little.

>> reporter: even today, the slippers have some magic. yeah, they sure do. here's an interesting fact about the slippers. they are actually not ruby, they're burgandy because those early cameras could not read burgandy -- could not read ruby, they could only burgandy. as a result, they are really not ruby, they're burgandy. by the way, the kickstarter campaign is on the smithsonian's website if you'd like to contribute, and these arene but this is the one, they say these are the shoes worn by judy garland. back to you, savannah. >> i bet a lot of people will want in on that, tom. thank you so much. appreciate it. we'll send it back to matt and dylan and your little dog too. >> exactly, and by the way, thanks to tom costello for not showing the flying monkeys because i don't need nightmares. >> you have fear of the flying monkeys? >> that scene freaked me out. thank you, tom.

>> it's very dry out west. you mentioned that fire that developed outside of l.a. it's all because of these santa ana winds. with your area of high pressure pushing everything offshore, it's a very dry wind. you have no moisture coming in from the pacific ocean and as the air goes downhill, it does tend to heat up, so we are looking at near record highs today and possibly breaking records tomorrow. look at how warm it's going to be. l.a. 91, santa ana 92 degrees. this is 10 to 15 degrees above average. then you factor in h with relative humidities down to about 10% to 20%. it's also pretty windy, especially in the valleys and higher elevations. we're seeing wind gusts up around 50 miles per hour. so we have again today that >> bri: good morning, everybody. partly cloudy skies to start. but as we move into mid-kay and this afternoon, i think the sunshine wins out over the cloud cover. there is a weak cool front that's moving through throughout the day today. but it really doesn't cool off

ahead of us all across the board. 74 to 81 for our highs this afternoon. and a will be at your 7 on 7 forecast shows it is still fall and that becomes apparent as we move into the weekend. unsettled weather ahead and that's your latest forecast. >> all right, dylan, thank you very much. coming up, a new push to have airlines refund those annoying baggage fees, but there's a catch. and going out in style. the food, fashion guests that made the obamas' final state dinner one to

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>> you were inside so we want the real scoop in a moment. after eight years this was the 13th and final state dinner for president obama. that is more than president george w. bush, he hosted 11, but far fewer than bill clinton who hosted 28 state dinners. with the italians in town, the president said he was saving the best for last. from the white house, a glamorous evening honoring the prime minister of italy, a european ally where food and fashion are famous. this state president obama's largest and also his last. >> in the immortal words of a great italian american, yogi berra, it ain't over till it's over. >> reporter: a coveted invitation, mario andretti, rachael ray and james taylor all in attendance. jerry seinfeld too. >> we identify as italian. >> reporter: the first lady dazzling in a rose gold chain

criticism of donald trump. >> michelle, after the last weeks, let me be very frank. your speech are better than your tomatoes. >> reporter: the exquisite dinner fitting for fall, including ingredients fresh from the white house garden. on the menu sweet potato pasta, butternut squash salad and beef pin wheels, plus desserts, including tiramisu. >> michelle and i decided to think of this as a typical italian sunday er prepared by mario batali, donning his signature crocs. gwen stefani capping off the night with a musical performance fit for a king. or at least a prime minister. and a president hosting his final fancy affair. the president sounding nostalgic at times saying he is no longer the young guy, he's 55 now.

the question is, since you were there, was there an after party? >> yeah, it's a real rager over at the department of agriculture. no, no, it was a late night, though. it went until after midnight. gwen stefani played, she was so excited. she invited blake shelton, her date, to come up and sing with her at the end. it was really fun. it's kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. it felt like the president and mrs. obama, they have that kind of nostalgic feel, as you said. it's a countdow president takes office. >> lucky 13, you got your invite to the final one. >> thank you, peter. coming up, taylor swift's new message on instagram has fans very excited for the weekend. and what's your state's go-to halloween candy? we'll get the new list.

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7:50. carson is out on the west coast shooting "the view." we have sheinelle -- i'm sorry, i said "the view"? "the voice." that was weird. that was weird, waensn't it? sheinelle is talking about treats. >> why not? with halloween just around the corner, a website conducted a survey to see which candies are the most popular in each state. here's what they found. from coast to coast, life savers are the favorite in california and nestle crunch bar was the top in florida. the classic candy corn won the most states, a favorite in five different places. and reese's peanut butter cups had the most votes overall. when the results were shared online, social media users

sara tweets south dakota, we have to talk. laffy taffy? and joe posts this is a candy-coated outrage. massachusetts has always been a reese's state and will always be a reese's state. now, according to the survey, they like starburst. let's see how well the survey did for us. matt, your home state of new york chose sweetarts. >> what? >> what do you like? >> i'm a >> dylan, you're from new jersey, where they like their sour patch kids. >> people do eat a lot of sour patch kids in new jersey, but i like the chocolate candy. >> we went for the chocolate this morning. i'm from kansas where they chose twizlers. i almost chose twizzlers, but i am a kit kat girl, especially when you put it in the freezer. so you can head to today.com to

wednesday. sheinelle, thank you. just ahead, what's you ? ? ? and off you go, ? ? ? and off you go, ? ? ? and off you go, ? for every step, every stride, every start,

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woman: i depend on planned parenthood for birth control. woman: i had my annual physical there. woman: the cancer screenings at planned parenthood are so important. narrator: still, chris sununu cast the deciding vote to eliminate state funding for planned parenthood. chris sununu put partisan politics above women's health care. colin van ostern: i'm colin van ostern. i fought to restore funding for planned parenthood and got it done, because women's health care should always

>> christa: good morning, everybody. 7:57. look how beautiful the colors are out there. a nice-looking forecast compliments of bri egg,. during the commute today or tonight, the colors are beautiful. mostly sunny skies in store for us as we head throughout the bulk of the day. we have a few clouds out there right now. we will warm things up. 74 to 81 degrees. fall makes a comeback for the weekend. >> christa: bri, thank you. you top stories now. police are searching for the man who allegedly exposed the iments to elementary school students in andover. officers say man pulled down his shorts while children were outside for recess in st. augustin school on monday.

dorchester. this happened on mather street in dorchester avenue. it was just before 6:00 last night. police say the victim suffered life-threatening injuries when someone fired several shots hitting him in the arm and in the neck. we're back with more updates in about 25 minutes. if you're headed out the door, though, have a great day. it was doggie destiny was mr. bonejangles expecting the perfect toy at an amazing price? of course not. he's a dog. you never know what you're gonna find, but you know you're gonna love it. spent 21 years in the navy, defending america. if i only showed up half of the time, i'd have been court-martialed. but that's what senator kelly ayotte did. she missed nearly half of her homeland security hearings. vo: on critical homeland security hearings, ayotte was mia... even missing a hearing the same day she went to a washington fundraiser. for ayotte collecting campaign cash comes first.

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it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, the final round. hillary clinton and donald trump arrive in las vegas ahead of the third and last debate in this roller coaster election. what each candidate needs to do to walk away plus in the morning or at night? we'll take you inside the great shower debate and tell you which time is really better for you. and cher gets set to turn back time. maria shriver goes one on one with the music legend who reveals why she's ready to return to the stage at the age of 70. >> i didn't want to be finished, i didn't want to be through with singing and i knew that this

>> today, wednesday, october 19th, 2016. ? >> we are from berry bend, indiana. >> we've been watching the "today" show every day since our wedding. 50 years ago. >> i'm celebrating my 40th birthday with the "today" show. ? >> shoutout to our family back in arkansas. >> 33 years married to this hunk. we're back now, 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it's the 19th day of october, 2016. we have a loud and boisterous

>> look what's going on. >> nice to see you. it's a pleasure. i'll do it in one second. savannah is still down in washington, d.c., after a state dinner last night. she's not going to be there long. savannah, you're going to jump on a plane, head out to las vegas for tonight's debate, correct? >> that's right. i'll play the slots for you, matt, just like you asked. >> that's the deal. you got the numbers i sent you also. listen, though, before you get on the plane, i want you to check out something you missed on the hit show "this is us" last >> josie and i weren't good together. so we're not. >> it's not like i was going to keep the job anyway. >> but you know who are good together? >> matt lauer and savannah guthrie. i love them, and i want them to be my family. >> and also us, we're pretty

matt and savannah. >> wait, what? what? >> i love that show, by the way, so that's pretty cool. >> that was awesome. so exciting. they're talking about us on "this is us," matt. we've made it, finally. >> it was a tad random, wasn't it? we'll take it. >> it was humor on the show and it was perfect. >> savannah, i've got a question for you. i had one request for savannah this morning. i asked her to wear the gorgeous es on the show today. you looked gorgeous last night at the state dinner. awesome. it was a 10. 10 plus. >> you are so sweet. because you know me, hoda, you know that just like you, that dress is wrapped in a ball and shoved at the bottom of a suitcase. >> with the shoes on top. >> safe travels, okay. >> thank you so much. >> we'll see you a little later. let's get a check of the top stories of the morning. it is time for the news at 8:00. >> i'm andrea mitchell in las vegas where the stakes are high

against hillary clinton could be his last chance to turn around a campaign that is not going his way, and all signs are point to him imploring the same scorched earth strategy he used in the last debate. donald trump vowing to drain the swamp in washington, calling for congressional term limits, even though they were ruled unconstitutional by the supreme court in 1995. >> not only will it end our government corruption, but we will end the economic s >> in colorado tuesday, trump also repeating his claims based on no evidence that the election will be rigged. >> they even want to try and rig the election at the polling booths, where so many cities are corrupt, and you see that. >> trump drawing a stern rebuke tuesday from president obama. >> i'd invite mr. trump to stop whining and go try to make his case to get votes. >> trump's arsenal for tonight's debate includes a direct dig at the president, inviting president obama's kenyan

supporter. he's also inviting pat smith, whose son, sean, was killed in benghazi and spoke at the republican convention. >> i blame hillary clinton personally for the death of my son. that's personally. >> trump deployed a similar strategy at last week's debate, bringing several women who accused bill clinton years ago of sexual assault. accusations he has long denied. today one of trump's own accusers, former "people" write natasha stoynoff proud six friends who said she told them at the time trump had made inappropriate sexual advances, a charge trump denied and nbc news has not within able to independently verify. one was with stoynoff when they encountered melania later in new york. >> that never happened? >> never happened. >> hillary clinton arriving in las vegas tuesday facing her own challenges, a daily torrent of stolen e-mails from her campaign

by wikileaks. the fbi is investigating whether russia is behind the hacks. >> we think that the debate should focus on the extraordinary and unprecedented and very disturbing role that russia is playing in trying to influence our election. >> and clinton aides are laughing off trump's earlier suggestion that she might be doping for tonight's debate. they say that she will be ready for anything he throws her way. matt, back to you. >> all right, andrea, thank you so much. you can watch the debate tonight live, here on nbc. i want to talk about some big news for air travelers. the obama administration is out this morning with new rules for airlines that address some common complaints by passengers. among the planned changes, airlines would be required to refund baggage fees when luggage is substantially delayed. right now they only have to pay if the luggage is lost. third-party online ticket sellers must be more transparent about fees and allow customers

airlines to more accurately report on-time arrival rates and the number of times that wheelchair requests are mishandled. >> i hear people applauding for that, right? >> no question about it. coming up, when do you shower, before work or before bed? apparently there is a correct answer. we'll give it to you on trending. >> i want to hear your answer to that. and then big news for taylor swift fans. if you've been missing the music superstar, she'll be back. and then cher opens up to return to the stage at 70. and why she says she's never been a huge fan of herself. that's rig i laugh, i sneeze... there goes my sensitive bladder. sound familiar? then you'll love this. incredible protection in a pad this thin. i didn't think it would work, but it does. it's called always discreet watch this. this super absorbent core turns liquid to gel,

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i can't wait to hear this. first up, what was your most memorable experience? it's a multiple choice question. here are the options. your first job, your first kiss or your first concert. what would you say? >> probably my first job. first kiss was weird and awkward and just like a weird time in your life. it's supposed to be forgotten. >> i'm not going to choose first kiss just because, even though that's what it would be. so i'm concert. >> i don't get it. why won't you say first kiss? you said you knew it was coming, you were ready -- >> i was terrified, matt lauer. there are too many people in kansas right now who know, so can we move on? >> mine was definitely first kiss. first kiss. >> what about you? >> first concert. yeah, i think it was first concert. it was elton john at the garden. >> that's memorable.

taint it a little bit right there, asked people to rate their answers. in third place, the first kiss. sheinelle came in with 32%. runner-up, first job. number one, first concert, top of the list, proving the most memorable of the choices people were given. >> interesting. >> all right, we've got another question for the table. are you guys ready? >> sure. >> when do you prefer to shower? do you prefer to shower first thin let's start with dylan. >> i shower in the morning. >> i'm at night. >> you're at night? >> mm-hmm. it leaves you more time to sleep in the morning. >> i'm in the morning because i need to wake up and get it going, get the engines going. i'm dying to know this answer. >> i shower every morning, i shower probably once in the middle of the day and i often shower at night too. i like showers. are we talking cold showers or hot showers? >> all right.

they say if you shower in the morning, you get the boost you need to get out the door. >> that's true. >> that's if you want to get your juices flowing. but you should shower at night if you're a stressed-out person. they say that you'll wash all of your stress away that's built up throughout the day. >> what about that midday shower? >> that's at the gym and you have to shower after that. i can't leave the house in the morning if i haven't showered. >> you can sleep for an extra 20 >> you take 20-minute showers? >> yes. >> 20, 25. >> i take three-minute showers. >> that's why you can do three in a day. >> exactly. >> sheinelle, pop stars. >> first to drake winning new kudos this morning. spotify just announced that his hit "one dance," you know that one, is racking up more than 880 million streams. remember, billboard named the track its song of the summer after it sat atop the top 100

next, taylor swift, is she getting ready to drop a new album this month? music insiders say yes. in the meantime taylor is getting ready for her first performance in almost a year. she'll perform this weekend at austin, texas. she hasn't shared any new tracks just yet but on instagram she did offer a peek at her rehearsals. ? never, ever ever get back together ? >> she also has a big concert the night be so stay tuned. and finally, emma stone looking very beautiful with a new pixie cut on the new issue of "vogue." she takes part in the series 73 questions and letting the cameras inside her beautiful l.a. apartment. while opening up about herself, emma showed off a special talent. >> can you give me your best impression of someone famous? ? baby, baby, how was i supposed

impression of britney spears. for more pop culture news, check out today's facebook page. >> are you still in touch with the guy in kansas whose kiss you dreaded so much? >> no, no. only my husband and that's it. >> good to know. thanks for the clarification. how about a check of the weather? >> all right. >> anything else you want to talk about or shall we move on. >> oh, lord. >> taking a cold fronts we have moving through, these are going to eventually get rid of the 80s, wipe them off the map and replace them in the 50s and some 60s. the first one is producing and will produce stronger storms later today, especially across northern arkansas, in the st. louis area as stretching over into cincinnati. hail and damaging winds will be the biggest threat with some of those storms. as we go into tomorrow, we'll see the second front produce much-needed rain across the eastern great lakes and interior northeast. and then once it moves eastward even more by friday, it's going

the atlantic and that's going to bring a lot of rain up to parts of the northeast, including new england too. we'll see some scattered showers in and around the new york city area before it clears out for the weekend. we could see as much as 3 to 4 inches of rain, especially across western new york, which >> bri: good morning, everybody. partly cloudy skies to start. but as we move into mid-kay and this afternoon, i think the sunshine wins out over the cloud cover. there is a weak cool front that's moving through throughout the day today. but it really doesn't cool off ahead of us all across the board. 74 to 81 for our highs this afternoon. and a will be at your 7 on 7 forecast shows it is still fall and that becomes apparent as we move into the weekend. unsettled weather ahead and that's your latest forecast. hoda and matt. >> announcer: "red, white and you" is sponsored by amazon.

to the presidential race, red, white and you. the final presidential debate tonight. there is one group that both donald trump and hillary clinton will try to reach, and that group is women. >> you may remember a few weeks ago nicolle wallace caught up with a group of moms in the battleground state of north carolina. this morning she takes us to ohio to find out how millenial moms there feel about this race. >> who's definitely voting on election day? >> i live in ohio. my >> on the southern shore of lake erie sits lake county, just outside of cleveland. with this group of millenial moms are still struggling with this election. >> this whole election has morphed into an alternate universe almost where facts don't matter. >> in 2008, barack obama won here. in 2012, mitt romney won this county. the margin of victory both times, less than 1%. >> i don't expect perfection, but i do expect integrity and i

either candidate. >> so as ohio becomes a must-win state, one thing is clear. when it comes to winning over moms, both candidates have work to do. >> they need to win your votes. and if they sat here and said what would it take, what would it take to lock you up as a voter, what would you want to hear? >> i think neither one of these candidates seem to be above bashing the other, and that really bothers me. i watched maybe ten minutes of the first debate and i felt like i was back cafeteria. >> so are you throwing your hands in the air? >> it is definitely a lesser of two evils choice. and it would have to come down to a gameday decision. >> you know, trying to get you to hate somebody as opposed to trying to get you to like somebody. i have a daughter, she's eight months old. i look at her and it's not just the next four years, it's the next 20 years. whatever foundation is laid with this election she has to grow up in. >> i know that hillary has flaws. >> what could she do better to help herself in ohio?

connect with people a little bit more. >> i think when you compare her to other candidates, you don't get a good feel for who she is. >> her credibility is a zero. you have benghazi, you have the e-mails and the server. even pneumonia. everything that comes out of her mouth, it's like she can't tell the truth. >> where does that leave you? >> leaves me erring on the side of trump. >> but when it comes to women, the latest nbc news/survey monkey poll shows hillary clinton leads donald trump in every age character concerns with trump? >> i don't think you get over it. i have to trust that he's going to put good people around him that will help guide him in making good, sound decisions and pray that he can hold it together for four years. >> i have a hard time with donald trump because a lot of what he says goes back and forth so much, you can actually watch him contradict himself. >> what advice would you give mr. trump if he sat here? >> i would tell him he needs to be humble.

pretty awful things and he needs to turn it around and being the trump that the republicans nominated. >> any leader that admits to treating women in a certain way, it's hard to say that they are a good choice to be the leader of the free world. >> historically, women vote in higher numbers than men. in 2012, 53% of voters were women, so getting out the vote is crucial. >> who's definitely voting for hillary clinton or wants to say so today? who's definitely voting for donald trump or wants to say so today. who remains there you go. the state of ohio, the great state of ohio. >> it's interesting. you asked one of them the question what would it take to lock you in and then you look at them and they raise your hands. but do you get the sense something could happen in this debate tonight that's going to move them? >> the reason is they are not hard-core partisans. as a group they like their governor, governor kasich, a republican, but they also admire a lot of things about michelle and president obama. so women voters are not beholden

events, by news. and tonight's debate is really important, especially for tria, my one undecided mom. >> it's always one thing to look at polls, but those are just numbers. to get out and sit down with the people behind those numbers is fascinating. >> and they have so much wisdom. they see and hear everything, they miss nothing. even though they're busy juggling households and jobs. amazing. >> you can see more of our "red, white and you" series exclusively on the nbc news app >> second time's a charm. now to another woman who always has a lot to say, music icon we're talking about cher. >> that's right. she sat down with nbc special anchor maria shriver and made a big announcement. maria, good to see you. good morning. >> good morning, matt and hoda. with a career that has spanned six decades, cher's star is burning brighter than ever. we caught up with her in los angeles to talk politics, social media and the state of the world according to cher.

the pop goddess is returning to the stage, announcing spring tour dates in las vegas and maryland. >> i didn't want to be finished. i didn't want to be through with singing, and i knew that this would probably be the last time. my voice is still really good. i'm still, you know, active and running around. i can still fit in my costumes. so i thought that this is >> you're 70. do you just look in the mirror and go i don't feel it, i just refuse to accept it? >> i just don't know how to accept it. i don't want to either. but i don't really know how to. i look in the mirror and i see this old lady looking back at me. if i put 70 candles on my cake, i would blow my brains out. >> when you look in the mirror, what do you see?

i just see cher. but, you know, i'm never satisfied. i've never really been in love in cher, she's all right, but i'm not a huge fan. >> get out. >> no. >> you're not a huge fan of cher? >> i'm not a cher fan, exactly. >> cher, i love you so much. >> luckily, cher has plenty of loyal fans waiting for her latest comeback. people think, well, gosh, you're cher, you probably don't have to >> the older you are, the harder it is. >> if you want to know what's on cher's mind, look no further than her twitter feed, where she pulls no punches, especially when it comes to her feelings about donald trump. >> i feel like i'm yelling "fire" and no one is listening. i care about the country and i know the people that are following trump, they care about the country too. but i don't think it's the same

>> yeah. i just do. >> you have been talking to kids who are first-time voters, millenials, and you are imparting like it's really important that you vote. >> yeah. >> and that it's important you vote for hillary. >> yeah. she's done some things that i'm sure she wished she hadn't done and she's done things i can't back every play, but i think that if she has the chance to be a great president, she will rise to that occasion. >> cher knows all about rising to the whether it's sending cases of clean drinking water to residents in flint, michigan, or providing safer helmets to american troops overseas, cher is turning her outrage into action. she finds her day job gives back in a way too. >> it's kind of therapeutic what i do on stage. i think when you can take people's minds off of everything, you give them this respite from the world and their problems and everything that's

>> there's so many women in hollywood, in corporate america, all over, who say, you know, i can't get a job after 45, 50, 60, forget it if i'm 65. nobody wants to hire me. what would you say to those women about how to persevere? >> i'd say you have to be like a bumper car. you hit the wall and you back up and you go a different way and then you go at the wall again. the only thing i know is not to give up. i don't know anything else. i don't know how to not give up. if you want to see the classic cher tour, there are only 24 dates scheduled right now. tickets go on sale this weekend. but before she heads out on tour, she's heading out on the road for hillary clinton. the next two weeks she'll be hitting the pavement all across the country for her. so that's the best place to see her right away. hoda. >> maria, thanks. i still can't believe cher is not a cher fan. that's crazy. maria, thanks. >> thank you, maria.

big first in his career. and bobby flay shows why he cannot live without that it's not uncommon for autistic kids to flap their hands. and so when i saw that, that was completely disqualifying. i'm a republican, but this election is so much bigger than party. my son max can't live in trump world. so i'm crossing party lines and voting for hillary. i don't always agree with her, but she's reasonable. and she's smart.

when it really mattered. i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. >> this is 7 news now. >> christa: good morning, everybody. it's 8:27. it's wednesday. not bad looking out there. here's bri eggers. >> bri: partly cloudy skies at this point. i think the sunshine wins out mid-day into the afternoon. 74 to 81. no joke today. that's all across th get into the weekend. >> christa: all right. love that. wherebri, thank you. a $5,000 reward is being offered for. >> about a series of fires that happened in tyngsborough. investigators say 11 vehicles and one home were damaged by fire earlier this month. the fire marshal and firefighters in tyngsborough are investigating. and police are investigating after a teen was struck and killed riding his bike in brockton. investigators say the victim was riding his big on main street

police say the driver is a teenage, as well. no charges have been filed at this point at least. and a teenager has been placed on the massachusetts most wanted list. investigators say that 16-year-old jayden smith killed man in fall river back in july. he's considered to be armed and dangerous. police are now offering are a $1,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. don't forget, we're back with more of your local headlines and of course your weather forecast with bri eggers on "today in new england" at 9:00 the "today show" in new york after this quick break.

when i listen to families across new hampshire, all i hear is that washington is locked into a system where the special interests come before people. where drug company profits come before affordable medicine, the koch brothers and big oil come before clean energy, and powerful corporations beat out entrepreneurs looking to grow their small businesses. i'm maggie hassan. washington won't change overnight. but sending a new senator who puts your priorities ahead of special interests can make a difference. and that's why i approve this message. ? ? ? with simply right checking from santander bank, just make one deposit, withdrawal, transfer, or payment each month to waive the monthly fee.

y right checking from santander bank. ? are you feeling alright, baby? ? ? 8:30 now on this wednesday morning, 19th of october, 2016. another beautiful, warm day here in the northeast, including right here in midtown manhattan. >> adam, adam. i've got adam here, you guys. he says he's the next matt lauer. are you the next matt lauer? >> it's good to have you here, adam. >> say hi to your mom.

oh, he's the cutest. >> this is the photo of the day. >> we love you. just ahead, ewan mcgregor is here talking about directing for the first time and the much-anticipated return of one of his most famous roles. also ahead, our pink power today, our friend joan lunden is here to talk about a little known condition women need to ask their doctors about. >> and bobby flay shares his secret weapon for the best cornbread ever and how to next day. dylan, you have a check of the weather? >> yes. it would be nice to keep this warm weather around but we'll see it cool down as we go into the end of this week, all because of those cold fronts you see draped across the country. we could see stronger storms back through parts of the midwest and the second front is the one that's going to cool temperatures down to more seasonable. santa ana winds out west with record highs today and more rain in the pacific northwest. the rain will be beneficial through parts of the interior

with 3 to 4 inches of rain >> bri: good morning, everybody. partly cloudy skies to start. but as we move into mid-kay and this afternoon, i think the sunshine wins out over the cloud cover. there is a weak cool front that's moving through throughout the day today. but it really doesn't cool off temperatures at all. in fact, it's a very warm day ahead of us all across the board. 74 to 81 for our highs this afternoon. and a will be at your 7 on 7 forecast shows it is still fall and that becomes apparent as we unsettled weather ahead and that's your latest forecast. matt. >> all right, dylan, thank you very much. i'm here with ewan mcgregor who stars in and directs the new movie "american pastoral." he plays a successful businessman whose daughter uproots his family's seemingly perfect life. take a look. >> if you oppose the war right here with all your strength,

>> revolutions don't begin in the countryside. >> we're not talking about revolution. >> you're not talking about revolution. >> ewan mcgregor, congratulations. >> thank you. >> how does it sound when i introduce you as actor and director. >> i still have to pinch myself a bit, yeah, it's nice. >> you weren't originally going to direct this. the project then needed a director. you dove into this. i was reading about you last night. philip roth. how many times did you read that book? >> i read the book -- i read it like twice front to book and then i just read it. for nine months i was in the book. i listened to it on tape. there's a brilliant recording by ron silver. if i was driving or running, i would be listening to ron reading it. and then i would read it daily. after a while i stopped reading it from front to back but just reading the bits. >> at some point did you have to take it and push it aside and

>> after five or six weeks away from shooting, i put it down. our film script i always trusted. i thought it was really wonderful, written by john romano. >> i think the story is fascinating because it involves what seems to be a perfect family. the husband has it all, the wife has it all, they have got the kids. but then what happens is one of the daughters becomes a radical in the truest sense of the word. it's set in the '60s but has a lot of relevance for today. >> it does. roth was very much writing about the '60s and the the post-war generation of the '50s collides with their children's generation of the '60s, the anti-vietnam protesters. so i was thinking very much about that time, but you can't help but see relevance to today. >> what did you rely on to get that dynamic between father -- that frustrated dynamic between father and daughter down? >> i just had a brilliant actor to work with in dakota fanning.

we made the scenes feel very alive. i don't know, it's just two actors working together. >> how hard was it to take the actor's hat off in between scenes or takes, put the director's hat back on and kind of straddle that line? >> well, that's very much to do with your preparation. i was there -- we shot in pittsburgh. i was there for 12 weeks before we started shooting. we set up the whole shoot knowing that i was going to be acting and directing. and then really it felt like the same job. i never felt like i was switching hats really. the actors. we would discuss where we wanted it to go in the next take and then we would do the scene together so it felt quite natural to me. >> a lot of directors just let the thing happen when the cameras are rolling. others like to get the actors on the set and rehearse it. which are you? >> we always rehearsed before shooting and we always did it alone. me and the actors would go on the set, we'd shut the door, no crew and rehearse until we were both satisfied or we were all

way we wanted to shoot it. >> congratulations and i can't wait to see the sequel to "train spy" coming up which is where you got your start. >> that's coming out in the spring of in ex year. >> ewoman -- ewan, it's great to see you. coming up, a comedian on the cutting edge with an in-your-face style all her own. first on a wednesday morning, this is "today" on nbc. imagine if your child were trapped in a failing school. imagine if your child couldn't read or write at grade level. imagine if your child were stuck on a waiting list. 32,000 kids want to go to a public charter school. but they can't.

t affect you. but for kids stuck in failing school districts, question 2 will let parents choose something better and give all our kids hope. please vote yes on question 2. spent 21 years in the navy, defending america. if i only showed up half of the time, i'd have been court-martialed. but that's what senator kelly ayotte did. she missed nearly half of her homeland security hearings. vo: on critical homeland security hearings, ayotte was mia...

for ayotte collecting campaign cash comes first. bob hillery: when it comes to fighting terrorism, fifty percent doesn't cut it. afscme is responsible for the content of this advertising. now to more of our series cutting edge women. this morning a comedian making a big name for herself. natalie morales is with her. >> get ready for the name phoebe robinson. if you haven't heard it yet, you'll hear it over and over again.

he slo she looks at race and gender equality with humor and bringing diversity to podcasting. >> how are you guys doing, good? >> comedian phoebe robinson is making waves in the podcast world. >> how would you define the kind of humor you have? >> i think it's very, like, in your face and raw and honest and observational. >> i'm 50% black and i'm 50% black at hell. >> is race an important part of your comedy? >> yeah, i think so. i think when i stand on people see that i'm a black lady and i think a lot of times in entertainment, you can get treated differently based on your race. >> even the title of her podcast series makes a point. >> your podcast is called "so many white guys." >> well, i work in podcasting which is very white male dominated and i just was noticing, yeah, i'm just surrounded by white guys so i want to poke fun at the situation. >> open, honest and funny. phoebe tackles issues of race

>> i think we always want to walk that fine line of making sure we're entertaining first. like we don't mind commenting on something, but we really want to come from a place of uplifting people. >> yo, girl, i got that. >> in march, robinson's first podcast, 2 dope queens with jessica williams became the number one downloaded podcast on itunes in the first week it came out. >> why podcasts? >> well, podcasts, i think like they're so intimate in a way, s interesting connection with someone that you don't get in another medium. >> guests have included nia long, gina rodriguez and even jon stewart. >> we had jon stewart on for one episode and i was freaking out. he was like i listen to the podcast, it's great. i'm, wait, uhlich to an episode of podcast? he's like yeah. okay, i'll stop freaking out. but it's really cool to have that stamp of approval. >> robinson grew up in cleveland, ohio.

the pride institute in new york, robinson went with a friend to a stand-up comedy class. >> my teacher was linda smith. i fell in love with it. it was just instant. i was like, oh, this is what i'm supposed to be doing. >> but it wasn't easy to break into the comedy world. robinson worked as an assistant for six years while doing stand-up shows at night. >> you guys are fantastic. i'm phoebe robinson. enjoy the rest of your lives. >> i read that you would say i would cry myself to sleep a lot. >> yeah. >> a lot of tears dur early struggles? >> yeah, just because working that many hours and you're not making any money doing these stand-up shows so there's a lot of tough days. but i think that made me stronger. >> robinson takes her podcast at wnyc studios in new york but she showed me the ropes in l.a. >> let's see if it's okay, if it's up to your standards. >> oh, my gosh, this is awesome. >> so are you feeling at home here in l.a.? >> with the microphone and everything. >> so if we were to reverse

podcast. >> yeah. >> what would you want to know? >> i'd want to know what celebs you would want to date if you were single. >> oh, my! >> a little girl talk. >> my hub is not going to watch this, right? >> no. >> well, rob lowe was on our show the other day. >> fine wine. i like that. >> what about you? >> so michael b. jordan, michael fast bender. i date a lot of like nerdy guys. they're like a little funny nerd so that's who i usually date. and that's your podcast. you just did your first podcast. >> we did it! the person who most inspired this 32-year-old, oprah. >> have you ever talked to her? >> no, i would love to. >> you need to get her on your podcast. >> well, the rumor that i've heard is that she has my book, so oprah girl, call me. >> her new book, "you can't

amazon show with kevin bacon. but comedy is always at the heart of her work. >> how would you say that you're cutting edge? >> i really kind of self-created my career in a lot of ways. i wasn't waiting to be cast in something. so i really just feel like being in control of your own destiny i think is my way of being cutting edge. >> what i love about her story, hoda, you see a young woman who recognized there was a need for a voice in that space and she she's certainly influencing that landscape. >> no kidding. it's so hard to break through in podcasts, in the podcasting world, just as a testament to her how quickly they rose. >> she's smart and she's funny and people love to listen to her. she's going to go real far from me. >> thank you so much, natalie. now over to you, matt. >> our friend, joan lunden, is here with a potentially life-saving question that all women need to ask. we're going to talk about that

narrator: planned parenthood provides many kinds of healthcare. woman: i depend on planned parenthood for birth control. woman: i had my annual physical there. woman: the cancer screenings at planned parenthood are so important. narrator: still, chris sununu cast the for planned parenthood. chris sununu put partisan politics above women's health care. colin van ostern: i'm colin van ostern. i fought to restore funding for planned parenthood and got it done, because women's health care should always

back now at 8:46 with pink power today as we mark breast cancer awareness month. one in eight women in the u.s. will develop the diseases during her lifetime. our good friend, joan lunden, is a survivor and the author of "had i known." joan, good morning. >> good morning, hoda. you know, 40% of american women have tissue, and it puts you at a greater risk of getting cancer. but surprisingly, millions of women don't know if they have it or what tests should be done if they do. ever since i battled breast cancer and found out i had dense breast tissue, which can mask a tumor, i make sure my friends, like elise, who also have dense breasts, get thoroughly checked. >> did they ever tell you anything about breast density? >> no, never.

started hearing the term "dense breasts." and believe it or not, it was from you. >> and sure enough, you've come to find that you do have very dense breasts. >> now, why wouldn't your doctor tell you that? >> i guess that's the $64,000 question, isn't it. >> a question that demands an answer. i recently attended an fda public hearing in washington, d.c., to request that when women across the country receive their mammogram results, they should also be told if they have >> i had a clone mammogram in 2014 and then i had an ultrasound and found out i had cancer. and what about all the other women out there who have mammograms and never hear the results that they have very dense tissue and might need another test? this could save their lives. had i known earlier that this kind of life-saving information wasn't being passed on to me and to other women, i would have been here knocking at your door

i'll keep knocking, because for women with very dense breasts getting additional tests is critical. this is what fatty breast tissue looks like that can detect a tumor, but dense breast tissue appears white and so does the tumor. it's like looking for a snowball in a snowstorm. >> that's why i'm going to take you over to the radiology lab where they found my tumor and you'll get your mammogram and in your case now we're also going ultrasound. so let's go. >> let's go. >> while a mammogram is considered the gold standard when it comes to screening for a tumor, for some women like elise, it may not be the perfect test. >> what are the limitations of a mammogram? >> mammography is limited by the density of your breasts. the more white tissue you have, the more difficult it is to spot small tumors which show up as white spots. >> so is this me? >> you can see that you have a

mammogram, which is what we call dense breast tissue. >> like many women, each year elise gets a report that states her mammogram is normal. >> millions of women in this country who get what we have come to term as the happy-gram. you don't have cancer. >> i get it every year. >> and usually you just read that first line, right? and then it goes into the wastebasket. and you think, whew. >> it also states she has required to flag that information or suggest more tests. elise lives in new york. it's one of over 25 states that has passed dense breast notification laws that require some level of information in the minneapolis/st. paul gr mammogram about breast density and its risks. >> do women need to be their open advocate and say do i have dense breasts? >> i think women definitely need to be their own advocate. we need to have that national

information at hand. >> in a statement to nbc news, the fda is proposing amendments to the mammography quality standards act final regulations that are expected to address breast density reporting. >> and so for people like me and my friend elise, what are your alternatives? >> in those women who have the dense breasts, other exams that can be performed would include a whole breast ultrasound, which is a screening exam, or mri. >> covered by insurance, but they are painless and for elise provide peace of mind. >> hi. >> oh, you're all done. >> all finished. >> tell me everything is good. >> everything is perfect. >> we've known each other for 30 years and we've got 30 more because we know what we're doing. >> very much a reloaf. >> all right, kiddo. >> it is important for women to understand the results of their mammograms and know their breast

additional screenings, whether it's covered by insurance, that will really depend on your coverage and unfortunately, still, by where you live. >> so you really do have to be your own best advocate, that's the rule of thumb. >> absolutely. joan, you're looking good. are you feeling good? >> i'm feeling great. thank you, thank you. >> love that you're here. coming up next, bobby flay gets things cooking with the perfect fall treats. first, this is "today" on nbc. bob hillery: i spent 21 years in the navy, defending america.

but that's what senator kelly ayotte did. she missed nearly half of her homeland security hearings. vo: on critical homeland security hearings, ayotte was mia... even missing a hearing the same day she went to a washington fundraiser. for ayotte, collecting campaign cash comes first. bob hillery: when it comes to fighting terrorism, 50% just doesn't cut it. vo: senate majority pac is responsible for the

we're all about kitchen tools you cannot live without. bobby flay tournament premieres tomorrow night. the kitchen tool you cannot live without is? >> cast iron pan. >> why? >> love them. first of all, they don't cost a lot and can last for generations if you take care of them. they're wonderful to cook with because it gives you lots of good sear on whatever you're cooking. >> we've got two recipes and one is in the oven. let's talk about cornbread. wet first, then dry? >> you mix the dry and the wet separately so you have some eggs and milk and butter. this is the bet ingredients. and i have dry ingredients, corn meal, a little bit of flour, some baking powder and then a little bit of salt and sugar. >> all at once? >> yeah, put it all in. and the great thing about cornbread is it can take a beating.

altogether just until it forms a batter. >> you don't want to mix it too much, right? >> you don't want to mix it too much. keep mixing that, please. and i'm going to take my cast iron pan and this is key, okay, that i warmed up in the oven, made it really hot. i'm going to take a little butter, brush it right on top of the pan. we're going to take that batter and pour that right into the hot skillet. what's going to happen is you're going to get this really nice crust on the ou cornbread so you get a good contrast of texture. >> it looks like this over here, which is beautiful. >> 18 minutes. >> you've got cornbread. take the cornbread now and make another recipe for me. you go that way, i'll go this way. you call it dressing because it's alongside -- >> because i cook it on the side. i'm going to cook it back in the cast iron pan. now, if you want to make stuffing, you put it in the bird, which is totally fine. >> here are the ingredients. >> exactly.

these the thanksgiving vegetables, carrots, celery, onions. put a little garlic in there if you want as well, a little bit of butter. any mushrooms will work perfect low fine. we saute those for a little while. then i'm going to add some eggs to this and then some herbs. a little bit of fresh thyme, oregano and some parsley. and then we're going to had athe cornbread. now, this is the cornbread we had the day before. really important is you should let t dries out, otherwise it's going to be too moist. >> okay. >> so pour this right into our vegetables. this is going to start to make up that flavor profile for the dressing. now, one of the most important ingredients in any thanksgiving meal is chicken broth. we need a lot of it because it is going to drink up a lot of it. >> the cornbread soaks it up? >> it soaks up a lot of the broth. once you think you have enough,

>> right into the cast iron pan. we bake this in the oven for 40 minutes and you can see how crusty it gets. >> with either turkey or chicken, a little cranberry sauce on the side. >> there you go. >> cast iron skillet, that's the tool you can't live without. thank you. for these recipes and to sign up for our "today" food club head to

president gave the order we had to launch the missiles, that would be it. i prayed that call would never come. [ radio chatter ] self control may be all that keeps these missiles from firing. [ sirens blearing ] i would bomb the [ beep] out of them. i want to be unpredictable. i love war. the thought of donald trump with nuclear weapons scares me to death. it should scare everyone. i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. a search in andover after a lewd act what police said one man did near an elementary school. presidential candidates prepped and ready for one last debate

main stage. >> as a former red sox ace headed for capitol hill. kurt schilling unveiling his political plans, coming up. and a shocking situation in new hampshire with more than a dozen dogs found living in filth. >> currently closing in on 70 degrees. the warming doesn't stop there. a little taste of summer before a little taste of summer before much-needed rainfall great price on this boneless chicken! yeah. we love low prices. no bones about it. [ laughter ] my stop & shop. months of degrading women and vulgar insults, and kelly ayotte supported donald trump through all of it, even calling him a role model. now, ayotte suddenly claims the opposite-- a political calculation just to re-elect herself. so, what else has kelly ayotte done to get re-elected? she's voted with the koch brothers 90% of the time, and corporate special interests like the kochs

kelly ayotte. doing what's right for herself is just wrong for new hampshire. i'm maggie hassan, and i approve this message. i'm maggie hassan, this price is so low. trying to make me eat my greens? no, just trying to save you some green. whaaat?! thousands of blue tags. thousands of low prices.

>> a lewd act right near an elementary school what police say one man did as they searched for a suspect. and a teen tragedy ement barked in high school freshman killed when a car slams into his bike. and the candidates taking the stage together one last time. the controversy surrounding both campaigns just hours before tonight's everybody. i'm christa delcamp. it's a busy day of news. we'll have top stories in a moment. first we have to talk about the crazy warm temperatures for the month of october. here's bri eggers. we give you credit for this next weather. wince segot blame yesterday. we take credit today and warmth across board. yesterday a beach day across the south boston points north. right now closing in on 70 across the board with southwesterly breeze. the brees will die down as we